I had made one or two boxes just messing around, I use one now as a small parts bucket but this was my first serious try. It’s going to act as a Urn for my friends dog, Gilmore.

The box is made from figured Black Walnut and is about 5” x 6” x 4” tall. The top is Spalted Hard Maple saved from firewood. I bookmatched both the top and bottom of the lid for effect and some symbolism (two lives here and after) I decided to line the inside with some Birdseye Hard Maple 1/8” thick, the Birdseye is for only Gilmore to see. I also thought that the Birdseye would become portals or windows to the outside world. Cherry Miter Splines, three on the corners from large to small to represent Gilmores Family. The finish is Danish Oil under a buffing of wax.

Gilmore was a Basset Hound of 17 years, and a friend of mine. He was loved by my friends MUB, Marcy and their son Avery.

A little friendly competition between Husband (me) and Wife (Brandy) for your views. Thats right. Brandy and the Curly Cherry Tray 1604 views in 30 days. It will be interesting to see if Brandy and her pretty tray will be able to stand up to Beefy Woodworker and handsome tray. I was going to make my “Duck Face” for the picture but that would have been unfair. BTW I think it will be weird when I beat out Brandy….and uncomfortable in a…. uncomfortable sort of way….

This tray is made from Spalted Hard Maple reclaimed from the firewood pile and sap-stained Black Walnut book-matched. Walnut miter joint splines. A little different cabinet hardware from HD and Volia ;) 2.5” x 16” x 22” Oil mixture finish and wax with buffing.

This is a garden bench I pulled out of a junk pile…. well this is it after a bunch of work. I had pictures of the original but have lost them. Let me say it was rusty, dirty, bug ridden, rotten, with broken Red Oak slats. I said “Oh, I’ll just clean this up and throw some new strips on there real quick”.... well there are 23 strips with 92 sides and corners, so everything I did for this bench I did 92 times…. and Six coats of Epifanes High gloss varnish. So this project has lasted on and off all summer. I refinished the Iron work with some nice textured forrest green outdoor paint and found some sweet Curly Cherry (from a secret stash I have hidden).

As I started making this I realized this would make a great gift for my Dad. I don’t know why this bench… but I wanted to thank him for supporting me and my side ventures like my wood shop. We work together everyday at the sawmill so it was nice to do something, kind of unrelated, for him. If you know what I mean.

Serving tray #2. My Uncle liked my first tray (made for my wife) so much he commissioned me to build one for my Aunt (his wife). Thanks Uncle Rich ;)

Speaking of such. My lovely Wife Brandy agreed to model this piece.

This tray is 15” x 22” x 2 1/2” The Book-matched Cherry bottom is 3/16” thick, set in a dado cut as a floating panel. The finish is Watco Danish Oil – Natural, with a good rubbing of Wax. The hardware was on sale at HD as Large drawer pulls. I used my miter spline jig on the Tablesaw to add Walnut splines. The bottom spline larger or longer than the top spline.

This week I’ll be offering similar Cherry from my personal collection, for sale in my ebay store (Shameless plug)

I would like to thank my Planer, Jointer, Tablesaw and Jet Sander for aiding me in the creation of this tray and my boys Nick and Clark for helping out in the shop.

Hey Guys, Made this up over Memorial Day weekend. Just was kinda messing around in between Hot Dogs and Beer. It may be tough to see in the pics…. I had some figured Black Walnut I used for the mitered frame. I book-matched some Curly Maple I had and Wa-La.

The tray is 14” x 22” x 2 1/2” The Maple is 3/16” thick, set in a dado cut as a floating panel. The finish is Watco Danish Oil – Natural, with a rubbing of Paste Wax. The hardware was on sale at HD as Large drawer pulls. I plugged the mounting holes on the backside with Walnut plugs taking care to match the grain.

I would like to thanks my Planer, Jointer, Table saw and Jet Sander for aiding me in the creation of this tray.

Some of you may say “Aww.. why didn’t he cut handles out of the sides.” Because this was easier. I was drinking beer and relaxing ….remember. Also, I like the modern look and feel. I originally made this to sell at a craft fair I have coming up….. but my wife Brandy came in the shop and said “Oh you finally made something for me!” She is very forgiving about all of my shop time so… I said “With all the love in my heart honey.”

Hey LJs, Just thought I’d post some boards inspired by your posts. Mostly Maple, Walnut, Cherry. There is my version of the Sinister board, a tumbling block, BritBoxmaker inspired board, McLeanVA inspired board, and the alternating strip board. I’m currently building a inventory for some upcoming craft shows, these are the highlights mixed in with the bulk of my inventory which are basic edge grain.

Hey LJ’s, I’ve been making a lot of the same stuff lately in the shop mostly cutting boards and Lazy Susan’s err.. Larry’s err.. Lisa’s well you know. If I posted them all you’d hate me but I just had to share this one with you. End Grain Walnut I incorporated the sapwood as a little experiment in the initial plank glue up I paid attention as to how I was matching up the sap and trying to visualize the pattern of it running in and out. Anyway the result was a success (I think) and so I framed the whole thing in my best Curly Hard Maple. For some reason this was hard to photograph. It’s 16” x 20” x 1 1/2” thick. Thanks for looking.

Hey Buddy’s, Just finished working on a totally Lumberjocks inspired project this week. Just had to make a Lazy Larry with my new bandsaw. So I spent Sunday making a circle cutting jig and after work the rest of the week making two Lazy Larrys.

I was totally amazed by the beautiful Vessels trifern makes and followed his blog on his technique in applying Aniline Dyes. Thank You Joe! I may never use a natural piece of Curly Maple again the possibilities are endless. Thank You!

The LL’s are 20” in diameter with a 14” round base. I used the slimline Lazy Susan hardware from Rockler They work great and are cost effective. I finished these with High Gloss wipe on Poly (which I find myself using more but still proclaim to be a satin finish guy).

The Dye combos were Black, Red and Yellow / Black, Green and Yellow I tried to sand heavier in the centers for a sun burst type effect, made some mistakes for the first try but am a lot more confident now and can’t wait for the next go round.

This has been another Lumberjocks inspired project. Thanks LJs

Ok, so part of the busy few weeks is on top of getting a new Bandsaw for the wood shop I’ve been working on Toy Box # 2 for the consignment shop. I didn’t change the design much from the first one mostly due the fact that I was on a time table, but did get some good advice for the next one here in Refine this Design post. I did make some subtle changes. The rails and stiles are a 1/2” narrower and the stiles on the side panels compensate (3/4” narrower) for the butt joint to the front panel so they don’t look wider or out of place. (hope you know what I mean) More Lid-Stay hinges (expensive). Nick wanted to get in this one for a picture just like the last time! I think he was disappointed it wasn’t coming in the house, so was I a little.

The Box is Curly Cherry I left some of the sap wood exposed for fun. 24” x 42” x 20” deep. I asked Selina (owner of shop) if she thought the box was two big? She said It can’t be big enough, most folks are buying two smaller toy boxes because the can’t find one big enough. OK! I don’t remember having that many Toys as a kid but these are different times.
The Interior floor, divider, and removable sliding tray are Curly Maple. This time on the tray I mitered the corners and put in some Cherry splines as I was recently inspired by Patron to make a Miter Joint Spline jig for my crosscut sled. Some High Gloss Poly (all I had enough of to do this project in the shop, I’m a Satin guy personally) and a rubbing of wax. I also got to Bookmatch the bottom of the tray on my new saw so I was making happy noises the whole time!

Hey Buddy’s, Like most of us I’ve been a busy dude. I have had a good three week run out in the Shop after work and the weekends. Last weekend drove down to Grizzly and came back with a GO514X2. After getting it dialed in (most of Sunday) what do you think was the first thing I did? Hmmm… I wonder? Thats right! I made some cutting boards of coarse! Nothing says trial run like a cutting board. Anyway, The saw is AWESOME! I also re-sawed some curly as I plan on selling book-matched curly in my store (new category coming soon;). I easily can see the band saw is going to open many new doors for me. Next will be a circle cutting jig and a curve cutting jig, (are they the same jig?) then yes probably the double curve. I’ll have to grow and learn with each new jig but with friends like you I feel totally confident! I can see the band saw advantage right away on these boards; beside cutting the curves, I ripped all the thin strips with ease and was amazed at the efficiency and saving of saw kerf. Ripping the strips for the Woven boards was tedious and wasteful on the Table Saw, This was down right fun! I have a little stock pile of 1/8” strips now just because I couldn’t stop.
Well, the sky is the limit! I must say however with out the inspiration of this site and the fact that you guys have my back I might not have bought this saw. In fact, I know I wouldn’t have. I’d be making flat grain, striped, cutting boards and playing guitar in my free time, my wife would be sick of looking at me and contemplating a part time job. So….. THANKS!

Hey LJ’s! Been working in the shop, this time for my boys. They needed a Toy Box. I had it in my head that I was going to use my Freud raised panel bit set and did just that. This was also an opportunity to buy a sweet set of 48” parallel clamps (YES)!
The Box is 42” x 24” x 20” deep. Made from Black Walnut and Ambrosia Maple (wormy) for the panels. I lucked out and found a beautiful piece of Curly Walnut for the lid. I had been saving this piece but never dreamed it was so Curly! I used Lid-stay hinges from Rockler. The lid stays up nicely, used three could have put four on. I used some 1/2” T&G Walnut for the floor and inset it with my Dado. I added a piece of trim to the bottom so it did not look so “panelly” thought of adding a piece to the top under edge of lid. What do you think?
Once I assembled the Box (Titebond / Kreg Pocket hole jig) I thought it was way to big so I improvised a bit and added a dividing piece of wood 5” from the backside for books or whatever and made a removable, sliding tray set on 1/2” rails for small things so they don’t get buried in the bottom.
My two boys Nick and Clark fit nicely in it, as do their toys.
I’m glad I made it that big after all!
All in all it was some more good experience filled with trial and error, trouble shooting, If I had to do it again I would make some different choices but I’m pretty satisfied and know it will last my boys and serve it’s purpose.

This is my favorite Cutting board and I’ve been wanting to try one. This is a project I owe directly to LumberJocks, and degoose Thanks! I had a lot of fun making these up and it was a real lesson in accuracy mostly cutting on the crosscut sled. They are roughly 12” square and are made from Curly Hard Maple, Walnut and Cherry. I can see how the combinations of wood could be endless and I will probably change it up on future boards. Helpful tip: It took Two 30” glued up strips of the Maple and Walnut and one Cherry to make one board (I ended up with enough for three so I went a little over board). The first board I did had a few tiny gaps so I fine tuned my sled and the next two came out tight and nice. I used a homemade thin strip jig to rip the HM and Walnut I got the idea here Thanks David my jig was a little cruder. Glue up consisted of 16 bar clamps, one bottle of Titebond III, and six beers all in honor of the Chairman! Turns out there is a simple way to glue these up but I just had to make it difficult for myself.

I found this blog entry by dewoodwork http://lumberjocks.com/dewoodwork/blog/2597 (Thanks dewoodwork)
Used Hard Maple, Cherry, and Walnut. The design is awesome and the directions are easy to follow. The final glue up was tough in lining up the blocks so a few are slightly off. Thus “There is many a slip betwixt a cup and a lip” I think next time I might try to shoot a pin nail into each one to hold them in place. I think some of the movement happened after I clamped them. Also I think I need to buy a good set of parallel clamps for better control. It took me a weekend and produced four blocks. All in all it was a fun project and one I will try again, the design possibilities are endless. Now if we could just get the “Chairman of the Board” degoose to share a few secrets we could all have some real cutting board fun! I love my Mother, Happy Mothers day!

Hey LJs, This is a display case I’ve been working on for about a week (on and off). It’s made from Birdseye Hard Maple, some Curly Hard Maple for the trim molding, and some unique ingrown bark Hard Maple for the back panel.
I used the Freud glass panel bit set for the door, what a awesome set. And biscuit joiner/glue for assembly.
The hardest part was the measurements for the door, and I learned that you need to know what hinge you are using BEFORE you make the door! So this was my second door once I established that I would be using a self closing 3/8” inset hinge.
Note on the Freud bits: to determine the length of the rail you need, of coarse, to subtract the width of the stiles and ADD 1 1/4” (5/8” for each groove) Hope that saved someone the 2 hours it cost me. Also I made my own panel retainers at 1/8” because the rubber panel retainer would not stay in the groove, garbage.
The case measures roughly 26” tall x 16” wide x 4” deep. The glass was fairly cheap at $36. The shelves are 1/4” and the door panel is 1/8” glass. I thought I could put a battery operated light in the bottom but I can’t find one small enough, there is only a 2 3/4” width on the inside from face frame to back panel, I do not want to use a plugin. Any suggestions? I used Minwax Antique Oil finish, which I liked better than the Watco Danish Oil from my last project. I liked that I could apply multiple coats and really got to develop a nice hardened finish during the buffing stage. I will be using this finish regularly on future projects like this. Loved IT!
I hung this along my bar space downstairs, and it goes nicely with the Curly Hard Maple T&G. The bar space is unfinished I think maybe I will try to complete the area before I make anymore accessories. I’ll face frame the bottom cabinets in Walnut, and then I get to make different combos of raised panel, glass panel doors, drawers and shelves. ^#$K YEAH! The bar is Curly Cherry. Thats a different project for a different time, I figured someone would ask.
HAPPY EASTER Hope everyone is enjoying their families today. I may only spend a hour in the shop ;).

This was my second attempt at a coffee table. The first was basic. This one I wanted to incorporate a drawer and try using a different finish besides my usual water based poly.
The table was made from some curly Cherry I had been saving in my personal stock pile and the drawer from some left over curly Maple, from my eBay store inventory.
The construction was basic, biscuit join the top, tapered legs four sides on the table saw with a homemade T track and hold down jig. I used dowels for my M&T joint and reinforced them using my Handy Dandy Kreg pocket hole jig. One note about that: I glued up the dowels then locked it together with the pocket hole screws, which eliminated clamping and drying time and gave me extra confidence in handling it as far as strength, I just kept on working and with in an hour I had the legs, top and sides assembled.
I wanted to use a center mount slide on the bottom of the drawer, but it would have made the depth of the drawer less than 2”. I gained a 1/2” by using side mount slides, but was disappointed when the bulky slides took away from my curly box sides.
With advice from the lumberjocks forum I was excited to try a different finish (for me) I applied about 4 wet coats of Watco Danish oil Natural over a 24 hr period. I let it cure all week and then applied 3 coats of Minwax wipe on poly sanding from 320 to 2400 in between coats. I don’t know if that was necessary or not, but I think the finish for my first time came out great. I’ll have a lot more confidence in future projects to try different finish techniques.
Thanks for all the help. Next I’ll try a raised panel toy box for my two boys. I have some ideas and I’m sure I’ll need more advice. Thanks